ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure's 2024-25 recruiting class grows with the signing of junior college star Lajae Jones.

A 6-foot-7 product from Jacksonville, Jones served as the top-scorer for Barton (KS) Community College, this season's NJCAA Division 1 national champions.

He posted 15.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and shot 54 percent overall from the floor including better than 42 percent from beyond the arc this season at Barton as he helped his squad to a 36-1 record and a 27-game winning streak en route to the national junior college crown.

Jones earned NJCAA national championship tournament MVP honors for his work in the tournament.

"Lajae is a highly skilled, scoring forward. He's someone that can get a bucket in a lot of different ways," Bonnies head coach Mark Schmidt said. "He is position flexible as well; we see him some in the point forward role. He has a high basketball IQ and plays with a relentless motor. Lajae fits our style really well. He's going to be a tremendous player for us for two years."

In the national championship game, he posted 14 points and 13 rebounds for Barton. Following the season, he was selected as an NJCAA Second Team All-American.

Jones spent his freshman season at Tarleton State in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), where he averaged 3.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.1 minutes per game during his first collegiate campaign.

Prior to his college career, he earned all-state and all-conference honors at Fletcher High School in the Jacksonville, Fla. area, and was honored as the District Player of the Year twice. He registered 20.7 points and 7.4 rebounds as a senior, graduating with 1,426 points, 594 rebounds, 197 assists, 176 steals and 165 blocks in a do-it-all high school career. He also was a two-year team captain.

Jones was considered to be one of the nation's top junior college transfers this spring. He selected St. Bonaventure over Memphis, Colorado State, USF and others.

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